We have a total of 6 inflatable vests onboard, four of which are Sospenders auto-inflate types. These are what my wife and I + crew wear whenever sailing offshore, or if I'm solo-sailing anywhere on the Bay. I keep on reserve, (4) CO2 cartridges with reload kits as well.

Additionally, we carry enough USCG Type I & II full floatation PFD jackets to accommodate all possible crew and passengers. These are stored in an easily accessible locker inside the pilothouse. By far though, crew will always choose the inflatables for comfort. I make sure everyone is familiar with their use and show how each can be inflated by mouth, in the event CO2 cartridge inflation fails.

Of course, if knocked unconscious, or otherwise unable to manually inflate the vests, they are useless - but at least my crew wears them. How many sailors would otherwise wear the alternative, bulky PFDs?